How to Change Power Saving Mode of Wireless Adapters in Windows 11
Wireless adapter power saving mode in Windows 11 is a built-in setting that reduces power to your WiFi card to save battery life. On battery, Windows uses a medium power-saving level by default. That can cause random WiFi drops, slow pages and downloads that stall for a moment and then resume.
If you see these symptoms, change the power saving mode, or turn it down as far as it goes. This guide shows two ways to do it: the Control Panel and Command Prompt. You do not need to restart the PC, and you can undo the change at any time. Device Manager also has an Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power checkbox on the Power Management tab of the adapter. That is a separate setting, so check it too if the drops continue after you change the mode below.
You can adjust your wireless adapter’s power saving mode via Control Panel or Command Prompt. In Control Panel, go to Power Options, change advanced settings, expand Wireless Adapter Settings, and select your preferred mode. Command Prompt requires administrator privileges and specific powercfg commands.
Why Does This Matter?
The setting is a trade-off. The more power saving you choose, the slower your wireless network gets, but the longer your battery lasts. With Maximum Performance, WiFi runs at full speed but drains the battery faster.
On a desktop PC or a laptop that stays plugged in, battery life does not matter, so there is little reason to limit the adapter. On a laptop you carry around, try a lighter saving level first and only go to Maximum Performance if the drops continue.
The Four Power Saving Modes
Windows offers four modes. Each can be set separately for when the PC is on battery and when it is plugged in:
- Maximum Performance: WiFi works at full speed. Uses the most battery. This is the default when plugged in.
- Low Power Saving: WiFi is balanced between speed and battery life, with only light power saving.
- Medium Power Saving: WiFi is balanced between speed and battery life, with more power saving than Low. This is the default when on battery.
- Maximum Power Saving: WiFi uses the least power. This gives the slowest connection and is the most likely to cause drops.
If you want the fastest, most stable connection, choose Maximum Performance. If you want the longest battery life on a laptop, choose one of the saving levels.
Option 1Using Control Panel
The Control Panel lets you change the wireless adapter power settings through the advanced power options window. You do not need to type any commands. The change applies to the power plan you are editing, so if you switch plans later, check the setting again.
Open the Control Panel. Set View by to Large icons or Small icons if needed, then click the Power Options icon. You should see a list of your power plans.
Find your active power plan (such as "Balanced"). Click the link that says Change plan settings next to it.
Click the link that says Change advanced power settings. A small Power Options window opens with a list of settings.
Scroll down to find Wireless Adapter Settings. Click the plus sign to expand it. Then expand Power Saving Mode.
📝NoteIf you don't see Wireless Adapter Settings, you may need to add it first. %%SC0%% It can also be missing if the PC has no wireless adapter or if the adapter driver is not installed properly.
You will see two dropdown menus: On battery and Plugged in. Choose which power saving mode you want for each. Your choices are Maximum Performance, Low Power Saving, Medium Power Saving, or Maximum Power Saving. Click OK when done.
Note: Desktop computers only show the "Plugged in" option unless they have a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) connected.
You can close Control Panel now. The new mode takes effect right away, and you do not need to restart. To undo the change, open the same window again and set the dropdowns back to their defaults: Maximum Performance for Plugged in and Medium Power Saving for On battery.
Option 2Using Command Prompt
Command Prompt lets you change the wireless adapter power setting quickly by running powercfg commands. The commands set the plugged-in (AC) and on-battery (DC) values directly. This is handy if you manage several PCs or want to script the change. It is also a good option if the Control Panel window does not show the setting you want.
⚠️ This option requires administrator privileges. If you run the commands in a normal window, they will fail with an access error.
Right-click the Start button, or search for Windows Terminal, and select Run as administrator. Then choose Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell. If a User Account Control prompt appears, click Yes.
Pick the command that matches the mode you want, copy it and paste it into the window. Press Enter to run it. Run only one command for each case (on battery or plugged in), because a second command for the same case overwrites the first.
For On Battery Mode:
Maximum Performance:
powercfg /SETDCVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT 19cbb8fa-5279-450e-9fac-8a3d5fedd0c1 12bbebe6-58d6-4636-95bb-3217ef867c1a 0Low Power Saving:
powercfg /SETDCVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT 19cbb8fa-5279-450e-9fac-8a3d5fedd0c1 12bbebe6-58d6-4636-95bb-3217ef867c1a 1Medium Power Saving:
powercfg /SETDCVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT 19cbb8fa-5279-450e-9fac-8a3d5fedd0c1 12bbebe6-58d6-4636-95bb-3217ef867c1a 2Maximum Power Saving:
powercfg /SETDCVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT 19cbb8fa-5279-450e-9fac-8a3d5fedd0c1 12bbebe6-58d6-4636-95bb-3217ef867c1a 3For Plugged In Mode (Desktop Computers):
Maximum Performance:
powercfg /SETACVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT 19cbb8fa-5279-450e-9fac-8a3d5fedd0c1 12bbebe6-58d6-4636-95bb-3217ef867c1a 0Low Power Saving:
powercfg /SETACVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT 19cbb8fa-5279-450e-9fac-8a3d5fedd0c1 12bbebe6-58d6-4636-95bb-3217ef867c1a 1Medium Power Saving:
powercfg /SETACVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT 19cbb8fa-5279-450e-9fac-8a3d5fedd0c1 12bbebe6-58d6-4636-95bb-3217ef867c1a 2Maximum Power Saving:
powercfg /SETACVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT 19cbb8fa-5279-450e-9fac-8a3d5fedd0c1 12bbebe6-58d6-4636-95bb-3217ef867c1a 3Check the result. If the command ran without an error message, the value was saved. To confirm it, open the advanced power settings window from the Control Panel method and look at Power Saving Mode. To undo the change, run the command for the default mode again.
Summary
Wireless adapter power settings give you control over how your Windows 11 computer balances internet speed and battery use. You can change them in the Control Panel or in Command Prompt, whichever you prefer. If your WiFi keeps dropping on battery, set the On battery mode to Maximum Performance and see whether the connection holds. If it does, you have found the cause, and you can try a lighter saving level later to get some battery life back.
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About the Author
Richard
Tech Writer, IT Professional
Richard is a writer at Geek Rewind who turns complex IT tasks into clear, step-by-step guides. He draws on years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, focusing on Windows, Linux and WordPress: the problems people actually run into, and the fixes that work. His server and WordPress guides come from systems he runs himself. Richard builds and maintains the platform behind Geek Rewind, from its Ubuntu servers and Nginx configuration to its custom WordPress plugins. Many new tutorials start with readers' questions, and he's always glad to answer them in the comments.
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